About the project
Roots & Branches is a not-for-profit project initiated by Gurumantra Education Society with an aim to build safe & inclusive educational spaces. In order to make educational experience meaningful and joyful, we need to focus on children's emotional, mental & physical wellbeing. Dance/Movement Therapy allows professionals to integrate physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing in classrooms.
Our Values
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Everyone has the right to education & wellbeing. Wellbeing consists of physical, emotional, mental & spiritual health of an individual
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Legal and ethical considerations- We hold ethical, legal, scientific as well as socially aware perspectives of Dance/Movement Therapy.
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Accessibility- We strive to make Dance/Movement Therapy more accessible by using local languages and making it affordable.
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Systemic approach- We believe that a person's health is directly or indirectly impacted by systemic issues such as, class, caste, gender, religion, race etc
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Creating inclusive educational spaces requires strengthening and educating every part of the educational system, such as teachers, administrators, children, parents, infrastructure, policies etc.
Meet The Team
Radha Joshi
Project Lead
After completing her Master’s in Education from Azim Premji University, Radha worked as a creative movement teacher & researcher. She later moved to London to pursue her Masters in Dance Movement Psychotherapy from Goldsmiths University of London. Over the last few years, she has been working as a dance therapist with various organisations. Radha being a dancer herself; believes in the crucial role of body and movement in the process of well-being. She strives to make Dance Therapy more accessible, ethical and decolonised in Indian context.
Meghana Raveendra
Consultant
She is a Dance Movement Therapy practitioner with a background in dance, education, and social leadership. She co-creates safe spaces with adolescents, misfits, teachers, and communities navigating systemic stress, multi-partner relationships, or questions of belonging. Her work blends movement, art, and peer support to explore safety, expression, and freedom—both individually and collectively. She is also training to build gender-safe spaces in schools through body-based facilitation. Outside of work, you’ll find her birdwatching, traveling solo, making messy art, or changing her hair color just for the joy of it.
Shivani More
Consultant
She is a Counseling Psychologist, Dance Movement Therapy Practitioner, and Bharatnatyam Dancer. She integrates a psychodynamic approach into her work, combining verbal talk therapy with movement-based interventions. She supports children, adolescents, and adults by creating safe, expressive spaces for exploring and processing emotions. This commitment drives her to raise awareness about essential mental health resources in her community. When she isn’t working, she enjoys nurturing her plants, experimenting with new recipes, or getting lost in a good book.
Project Mentors
Shubhada Joshi
Mentor
Hema Honwad
Mentor
Preetha
Ramasubramanian
Mentor
Shubhada is a founder of the Khelghar Project by Palakneeti Pariwar Trust, Pune — creating joyful learning spaces for children from urban slums for over 30 years. She is passionate about making education playful, experiential, and rooted in art, play, and dialogue. Her journey in education showed her how deeply connected education and mental health are, which is why she feels so aligned with the vision of Roots and Branches. For over a decade, she has trained teachers across India and written books on education and pedagogy. When she is not working, you’ll find her gardening, reading, or happily organizing her space.
Hema Honwad has been relentlessly working as a passionate teacher and educator for more than 3 decades. She has held influential positions in educational institutions. She is a published author and translator. She delves into the concept of positive discipline and focuses on how to foster a culture of respect, responsibility and cooperation rather than simply enforcing rules in educational spaces. We are so grateful to have her as our mentor.
Preetha Ramasubramanian is a practicing Dance Movement Psychotherapist who founded Kinesthetics - a Dance Movement Psychotherapy and counseling center in Chennai, India. She is a PhD candidate with the University of Hertfordshire. She has worked as a Dancer, and a Special Educator before pursuing her career in Psychotherapy. She has designed Curriculums, is a Lead Faculty member, and Supervisor at courses across educational institutions in India. She has been the President of the IADMT and continues to be a Founding and Executive Board Member.
Dr. Caroline Frizell
Mentor
Dr. Caroline is a UKCP-registered ecofeminist Dance Movement Psychotherapist (DMP), ecopsychotherapist, supervisor, and dance artist with over 4 decades of professional experience. Caroline is also a Senior Lecturer and Researcher in Dance Movement Psychotherapy(DMP) at Goldsmiths, University of London and she delights in training the next generation of practitioners. In addition, Caroline is an established author in the field of DMP. Caroline has been instrumental in initiating local community projects, as well as developing and delivering training programmes in inclusive practice for parents, carers and professionals. Caroline has worked extensively in special education and community settings and offers individual Dance Movement Psychotherapy and Supervision. From the start of the Roots & Branches project, Caroline has provided invaluable support and guidance. In her free time, Caroline enjoys walking, growing vegetables and spending time with family and friends. For environmental reasons, Caroline has not flown on a plane for 25 years. She enjoys the challenge of exploring the world by foot, train and boat.
